Means for effecting sealing of electric-cable ends



I Jan. 14, 1930.

R. M. MARTENS 1,743,825 MEANS FOR EFFECTING SEALING 0F ELECTRIC CABLEENDS Filed Feb. 25, 1929 7% III! fizvenr:

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Patented Jan. 14, 1939 RUDOLPH M. MARTENS, OF WEST ROXBURY,MASSACHUSETTS MEANS FOR EFFECTING-SEALING 0F ELECTRIC-CABLE ENDSApplication filed February 25, B29.

This invention relates to the sealing, usually temporarily, of the endsof cables which include electric conductors, and refers particularly tothe treatment of the ends of lead sheathed conductors, commonly known aslead covered cables, to prevent the admission of air or moisture to theinterior of the metal sheathing or tube, or the escape of fluid such asoil therefrom, while the cable is in storage or otherwise waiting to beinstalled for use.

0 Such sealing is also sometimes desirable when a cable is to be testedby air pressure to ascertain if there is any defect that might permitleakage.

Heretofore a common practice of effecting end sealing of such cables hasbeen by cutting back or belling the sheathing for ashort distance, thencutting oil a little of the conductor and insulation, and then returningthe end edge of the sheathing to position to form a cavity capabl ofreceiving sealing material such as melted tin. And sometimes the endedge of the sheathing has been turned in and, by a wipe joint of it overthe ends of the conductors, a more or less successful sealing has beeneffected. Both of these methods however are tedious and costly, asexpert workmanship is necessary.

One of the objects of my present invention is to facilitate the sealingof the ends of cables such as described, by forcibly depressing the endsof the conductors and insulation within the end of the shield, to form acavity, which cavity is then readily filled with sealing material suchas melted tin.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensivetool by means of which the above-stated operation can be easily effectedwithout requiring the services of an expert workman, or the expenditureof any objectionable amount of time.

lVith the abovestated objects in view, the invention consists in thepressing or cavityforming tool substantially as hereinafter descillJGtlilDCl claimed.

Serial No. 342,628;

Gf the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is'a side elevation, partly in section, of my improved tool bymeans of which the operation hereinafter described may be effected.

Figure 2 represents a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail view illustrating some of the members of the toolas they act on the piece of work during the forming ofa'cavity in theend of a cable.

Figure 4 is an end view of the type of cable for the treatment ofwhichthe tool illustrated is intended.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts or features in allof the views.

Referring first to Figure 1, the tool includes a steel casting having acylindrical portion 12 the lower end of which is shaped to present anannular ledge or shoulder 13, and a yoke-shaped portion 14, the latterhaving a threaded hole 15 in line with the center of the portion 12.Mounted in the threaded hole 15 is a screw 16 having a handle 17 at itsupper end and a ball-shaped lower tip 18 on which is loosely mounted apressing shoe 19. The pressing surface of the shoe 19 is substantiallyflat, and the area of said surface-is suflicient to contact, when inuse, with the ends of all of the conducting wires in the group 0enclosed by the sheath a in order to effect the operation hereinafterdescribed.

Bemovably mounteo in the cylindrical portion 12which for conveniencewill be hereinafter referred to as the socket of the tool, is a two-partsleeve 20 which, when the tool is in use, is supported by the shoulder13 of the socket. The two halves of the sleeve 20 are provided with edgeslots 21 which are traversed by pins 22, and each pair of pins areembraced by a link 23 (Fig. 2), whereby the two halves of the sleeve arecapable of considerable movement toward and from each other.

work clamping screw 24 is mounted in a threaded hole in the side of thesocket 12, its inner end bearing against one of the members of thesleeve 20, the latter having preferably, although not necessarily, arecess for the inner end of the screw.

Connected to the yoke 14, at the side of the tool opposite the screw 2preferably by a pivotal connection, is a handle 25 by means of which theentire tool may be held while the operating screw 16 is being tightenedas hereinafter described.

The inner surfaces of the two sleeve members 20 are formed with suitableprojections, such as in the form of screw threads. to so grip the pieceof work being operated upon that it can not slip endwise during the endde pressing operation which will now be described.

A cable comprising a lead sheath a, insulation I) and conductin wires(Figures 3 and A) is slipped into the expansible and contractible sleeveto about the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1, and thescrew 24 isactuated to close the sleeve the lower substantially flatedge of which is sup portedon the shoulder 13 of the tool socke suchclosing of the sleeve effecting a tight grip of the sheath a to preventendwise movement of the sheath in the tool. It is to be understood, ofcourse, that at this time the ends of the sheath, insulation andconductors, are flush or substantially so. Such is the usual conditionof an unsealed cable.

When the cable is gripped in the tool as described, the screw 16 isoperated to cause the lower face of the shoe 19 to contact with the endof the conductor or conductors in the cable and also with theinsulation, and operation of the screw 16 is continued until the shoehas been forced into the sheath to a sufficient distance to form acavity in the end of the cable deep enough to receive adequate sea-lingmaterial such as melted tin. Then reverse operation of the screw 16, andactuation of the screw 24 to release the gripping action of the two-partsleeve 20, enables the cable to be removed or separated from the toolwhich latter is then ready for another operation.

It is not always necessaryto form a cavity as deep as illustrated byFigure 3. The depth of the cavity is easily determined by the operator.Said figure illustrates some of the insulation, the outer cylindricalportion thereof, as not depressed by the shoe. This is because, when theshoe 19 has an insufficient diameter to include all of the insulation inthe depressing operation, any of the insulation left upstanding asillustrated by said Figure 3 can be easily manually pressedin and downprior to filling the sealing material in the cavity. When the shoe 19has a diameter equal to the inner diameter of the sheath a, theoperation described will force the entire insulation as well as theconductors as far within the end of the sheath as may be desired.

The loose connection of the shoe 19 with the end of the screw 16 notonly permits the screw to complete the cavity-forming operation withoutrotating the shoe when the latter is bearing on the ends of the wires,but also enables one shoe to be substituted for another to meetconditions required for cables of different sizes. And the removabilityof the gripping sleeve 20 provides for the employment of sleeve segmentsof different thicknesses when cables to be operated upon areconsiderably larger or smaller than illustrated.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A tool for depressing the ends of a group of conductors andinsulation within the ends of metal sheaths which enclose suchconductors and insulation, said tool comprising means for gripping thesheath, a pressing shoe movable to and from the interior of the sheath,said shoe having a substantially flat pressing surface of sufficientarea to contact with the ends of all of the conductors of the group, andmeans for actuating said shoe.

A tool of the character described, having a socket, a divided sleeve insaid socket, means for contracting the sleeve, and ascrew having apressing shoe movable to and from 'nterior of the sleeve, said shoehaving a substantially flat pressing 7 surface of sufficient area tocontact with the ends of all of the members of a group of conductors.

3. A tool of the character described, having a socket, a sleeve in saidsocket, said sleeve comprising a plurality of members having their innerfaces formed with projections to bite into and grip a cable sheath,means for closing the sleeve members, and a screw having a pressing shoemovable to and from the interior of the sleeve, said shoe having asubstantially fiat pressing surface of sufficient area to contact withthe ends of all of the conductors of a group in the sheath.

4. A tool of the character described, comprising a socket having anannular shoulder, a yoke integral with the socket, a collaps1blegripping sleeve mounted within the socket and adapted to be supported bysaid shoulder, and a screw mounted in a threaded hole in said yoke inalinement with the center of the socket, said screw having a pressingshoe at its end adjacent to the socket, said shoe having a substantiallyflat pressing surface of sufficient area to contact with the ends of allof the members of a group of conductors.

5. A tool of the character described, having a socket, a two-sectionsleeve in said socket, each section of the sleeve being substantiallysemi-circular in form and having its inner surface provided withwork-gripping ribs, a screw in one side of the socket to press onesection of the sleeve toward the other, a

signature.

RUDOLPH M. MARTENS.

